I love my food but the other day I couldn’t fancy even a bite. The mammies (Babz and Ruth) got worried and said if I didn’t eat I’d have to go to the vets. I don’t drink water, I’m teetotal you see, they said I would get dehydrated but I wouldn’t touch a drop. They opened sachet after tray after sachet of cat food and even cooked chicken, but I didn’t feel interested.

So off we went to the vets and it was Sarah who is very nice but our Jozef and me hate all the vets because they touch all over our bodies and stick needles in us. But I must say I was glad to go this time really because I didn’t feel well and they usually make us better.

Poster by Walter with the help of Ruth aka Kattaddorra

But Sarah couldn’t find anything wrong anywhere on my body and boy did she have a good look and feel of every inch of me. She is nice and strokes cats and talks to us but she got her temperature stick which goes up cats bottoms and the mammies said no he has a thermometer in his microchip. So I was spared that indignity and she said my temperature was normal and it was a mystery that she couldn’t find any cause why I wouldn’t eat. She said ‘Stop purring a minute Walter while I check your heart’ but I wouldn’t and she put something smelly by my nose to stop me, it was horrible.

So she stuck needles in which she said were antibiotics and steroids and said come back tomorrow if you are not better and I will take some blood. I ate a little bit that night and the mammies said steroids do that to you but the next day I didn’t want to eat and the mammies were worried sick. So we went again and Sarah clipped some fur from my neck and got some blood.

I was very good she said and then we had to sit in the waiting room for a long time to wait for the results. A cat called Roxy came in to see another vet, her mammie looked at me in my basket and said how handsome I am. Then a dog called Rodney came and he cocked his leg to wee on the display of pet toys, how rude!

Then a man came with a covered over box and he had gauntlets on and we thought ‘Who ever is in there?’ and it turned out to be a hedgehog with a poorly eye who was out in the daytime and should only come out at night. Then a man with a big bag came and it had a wild bird in that was hurt and the receptionist took it and the hedgehog both away cos the practice looks after wild animals and birds until they feel better. If I’d been feeling well I could have looked after that bird for them 😉 .

Anyway we went back in to see Sarah for my results and she said there was nothing wrong with all my bits inside, only my white blood cells said I had an infection of some kind but they couldn’t say what. So I had more injections and some pills to bring home which I am being good and taking. I’m much better at taking pills than our Jozef is, he is quite wild when he has to have any.

The mammies were very relieved cos they confessed to each other after that Babz was worried about kidneys and Ruth was worried about thyroids, whatever they are, anyway mine are very healthy and my heart and lungs and all. I was glad to get home and today I am back to normal and eating and being spoilt, the mammies say I deserve it because they are so glad I am better.

I look funny with a baldy spot in my bib and Babz said ‘can I take a photo of it Walter for PoC?’ I said ‘No way hosay’

Our Jozef wanted to see it but he never showed me his when he got blood taken last time, so why should I let him see mine. He had a hair ball yesterday and didn’t eat much but the vet said she doesn’t think he will catch whatever I’ve got but the mammies have to take him to see her if he doesn’t eat properly. He had a mystery allergy last year and had to have steroids but he’s weaned off them now and only sometimes sneezes after he has washed himself.

The mammies say we are an awkward pair to have mystery illnesses but the main thing is we get better thanks to the nice lady vets we see although I still do hate them all.

Take care of yourself sir Walter. Are you just making sure your mammies are on the ball? Well, of course they are silly one. Get well soon. You have a lot of friends out here in cyberspace keeping tabs on you, and wishing you well.

Thank you for your messages. I suppose we cats shouldn’t hate vets really cos they make us better but the journey is horrible and hot and it’s scary in the waiting room and more scary in the vet’s room.

It was a horrible stressful weekend, neither of us dared to say to the other what we were most worried about, but on Saturday I really thought there was a chance we would lose him because he looked so poorly and thin. He’s never been a cat that drinks water so he gets his moisture from his wet food, that made stopping eating all the more serious. I think if he hadn’t picked up before the appointment yesterday that we were lucky enough to be able to cancel then she would have had to admit him and give him fluids. He was such a good lad, we didn’t get to go into the back when she took him to shave the place on his neck and to take the bloods but when she brought him back she said he’d been really good, he’s a perfect patient, he lets me give him his tablets with no bother at all. I’m just so glad and grateful that he is so much better and is now eating like a horse. Neither him nor Jozef were very keen on the high calorie/high protein food the vet gave us to try to get into him but in the night after he’d cleared all the other plates I even heard him sucking away at that so he should soon get some meat back on those bones. People say cats (and people) shouldn’t carry excess weight but at times like this having a bit of fat that you can live off for a couple of days is no bad thing to my mind.

Well we are back off to the vets today, with Jozef this time, he’s showing exactly the same symptoms as Walter, just not interested in food.
Unfortunately Sarah who cured Walt has gone on holiday and only male vets are on duty today, but Jeremy who we will see at 3.15pm is very nice, he’s French and loves cats, having two of his own.
Hopefully with treatment JO will get better quickly like Walt has, but what a worry it all is to us.

Yeah I’d be pretty worried too. It’s hard to be rational when so many possibilities could be the cause of those symptoms. Hopefully, and most likely, it is a minor infection just like Walter had – that was contagious or something. I mean it could also be a virus I suppose – as they can cause infections and they are usually contagious.

Jeremy reckons it’s a virus and gave Jo a long acting steroid injection, but not an antibiotic one like Walt had, he said it wouldn’t help! So did Walt have one for nothing or will we have to take Jo back if he doesn’t improve. It’s a minefield! We are wrung out with worrying.

It sounds like you may both have had some sort of bacterial infection, since Jo has the same symptoms as you had. Perhaps you both got into something “nasty”. But whatever, I am sure that Jo will soon be back to good health and I am so happy you are on the mend. Lots of head bonks and scritches and glow coming to you both from your auntie Jo across the “pond”.

Auntie Jo it was horrible, the roads were busy and we had to wait ages in the vets as he was running late. Then he couldn’t find his microchip/thermostat reader and had to shove a poker up my bum. But I only got one needle and our Walt said he had two. The mammies are wrung out like two old floor cloths they says. He thinks I will be better within two days, I’ll have to make sure I am cos I don’t want to go again.

Oh, Jozef. Not that stick up the butt. Don’t you want to just snatch it and say, “Bend over Mr. vet, vet, vet”?
What did you and Walt catch? Could it have come from those next door?
I hope you feel better real soon and don’t have to go back to the butt sticker.

We just don’t know how they got this, the cats opposite all look in good health but the toms after them maybe are not!
Past our sell by dates with it all right now and even the neighbours who like cats are getting fed up of the situation here, which we can well understand. We love cats, all cats, but have to admit those are a nuiscance, yet there’s nothing anyone can do, just like the barking dogs we have to put up with. It’s up to the agents of privately rented houses to sort out complaints but they don’t give a damn.

Thank your boyz for grumbling for us, cats united against nasty vets with pokers, specially men vets cos lady ones are not as scary to us who only lives with ladies.
To add insult to injury a school girl saw all my indignity, she was lounging against the wall, said she was having work experience and looked as miserable as sin, think it all might have put her off being a vet.

Eat and get well! You’re both young enough to recover from this! It’s when you get old that the health risks increase. Bet it was that tangle of neighbors across the street. Don’t you have any sort of animal-control service that could take a look at the cats invading your turf?
Love from Sidney V.

Both eating well today 🙂 Nothing we can do about those cats, they all look healthy and are eating well, Cats Protection have no powers. As for the RSPCA, the cats have a home (such as it is) and they can’t be forced to have them spayed….that’s it!
Bring on the enforced neutering law!
Poor Sid V, hope he’s ok.